First U.S. Beta Site of New VUTEk 3.2m Rigid and Flexible Printer Reports Outstanding Output Results

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Press release from the issuing company

Meredith, N.H. (December 2, 2005) - The first U.S. installation of a VUTEk PressVu UV 320/400, UV-curing, 3.2-meter flatbed rigid and roll-to-roll printer, at Gigantic Color Inc., has exceeded all expectations for the Dallas-based large format specialist. Maximizing the productivity benefits of its new VUTEk printer, Gigantic Color is now able to complete jobs three times quicker than before, and win work for time-critical, longer run and high quality applications.
Troy McGinnis, Gigantic Color, Inc., general manager comments, “Our biggest challenge is keeping the PressVu UV 320/400 fed. It is so quick that we employ two people to load-up substrates and unload print, almost exclusively. Other digital flatbed printers are cost effective up to around 50 prints - but using our new 3.2-meter capability, we are still profitable producing jobs of up to 400 pieces.”
Installed in late June 2005, Gigantic Color bought the PressVu UV 320/400 to serve the silkscreen market, and enable it to be competitive on jobs requiring longer run lengths, but with the benefits of digital technology for variable data production.
McGinnis continues, “We expected the PressVu UV 320/400 to be quick, as advertised, and we knew that with its extended width we could double up jobs and hugely increase our productivity. But, as it only uses four-colors and prints at 400 dpi, we didn’t expect the exceptional print quality that we are able to achieve.
“The repeatability of the PressVu UV 320/400 is awesome,” comments McGinnis. “The stability of the heads, the quality of the inks - both consistent and controlled - and the ability of the ColorBurst RIP to dial in color enables the printer to provide fantastic consistency.”
The VUTEk PressVu UV 320/400 accommodates rigid substrates up to 126 inches (3.2-meters) wide, printing up to 20, 4'' x 8'' (14, 2-meter x 3-meter) sheets per hour. It also features a roll-to-roll capability, providing customers with the versatility to offer a wide range of services and applications.
Imperative for traditional screenprint work, substrate consistency was key to Gigantic Color’s choice of the PressVu 320/400. This was highlighted by a recent job produced for the US restaurant chain, Pizza Patrón.
“The introduction of a new company promotion meant that we were asked to print a variety of interior graphics and signage for 75 Pizza Patrón restaurants,” comments McGinnis. “We produced everything from wall murals to menu boards, window graphics and special promotional POP graphics, all on different substrates.”
Despite the variety of materials used, Gigantic Color was able to adhere to its customer’s strict corporate identity guidelines and provide graphics without variation in color quality or print resolution – from graphic to graphic, restaurant to restaurant.
Gigantic Color’s PressVu UV 320/400 features an all-new VUI (VUTEk User Interface). According to McGinnis, this new capability provides the ability to develop custom layouts, leading to less waste and increased productivity. Users can also compile and change job layouts on the printer, saving considerable time while also providing the ability to save jobs to the printer itself, enabling the quick and easy production of further re-runs.
Gigantic Color employs 110 people between its two Texas based premises. As a VUTEk customer of over 10 years, it uses a variety of VUTEk printers to supply its wide range of large format services. In addition to its PressVu UV 320/400, Gigantic Color uses its two UltraVu 3360 EC’s, one UltraVu 2360 and two PressVu UV 180/600s to produce everything from tradeshow displays to POP, fleet graphics and interior decoration.
McGinnis concludes, “The PressVu UV 320/400 is expected to provide huge productivity savings and enable us to be extremely competitive in both the digital and silkscreen markets we serve. What’s more, through additional testing on substrates including fabrics and glass, we believe that we have barely scratched the surface of the machines market potential.”